Well, I record guitars and sometimes a bass but honestly I'm not always sure about which microphone to go for (I use a lot of IRs). Of course choosing the right one will depend on the music genre, gear and also your personal preferences and that's why I'd like people to share their experience(s).

so if you have experience in this field, your input is very welcome.

what are your fave mics? what in your opinion are they better suited for? what about their tonal characteristics? etc etc

I begin with a list I made from various sources and websites (redwire website essentially)

all the mics hereafter are used to record guitars:

* AKG C414B-ULS
The C414B-ULS is a 4-pattern condenser mic with an input transformer. It has fairly flat response with a very slight dip in the upper-mids and a very noticeable proximity effect at close range (boosting the lows).

* Audix i5
The i5 is a dynamic mic with a scooped mid range and a big presence bump. A rather bright mic without much low end that works best at close range or out towards the cone on bright speakers like the Celestion Blue. It really seems to like the Jensen P12.

* Beyerdynamic M160
The M160 is a oddity among ribbons due to its tight cardioid pattern. Work it close for a nice proximity boost. Pull it back and enjoy the mellow highs. It's hypercardioid pattern keep the room sound at bay even at a distance.

* Neumann U47
A classic microphone used in countless legendary recordings. Extended lows, sweet mid-range and smooth high-end.

* Neumann KM84
The KM84 has a flat frequency response which lends itself to use as a room mic. It's also nice when you want to capture the speaker as is, without adding a lot of coloration.

* Neumann M8/CMV563
The M8 has a "vintage" rolloff of the highs frequencies which makes it nice for taming fizzy guitars and for use on bright speakers. The reflections captured with the Weber Blue might make an especially nice slapback reverb if blended with another signal.

* Neumann M7/CMV563
it's not a U47, but it's a similar capsule and on a CMV563 tube mic, it has some old school mojo of it's own.

* Neumann U87
This one's a studio standard. Be especially careful not to overload this guy bc it can make it sound a little "honky". It seems to have less proximity effect than the C414 and picks up more high end.

* Royer R121
Another ribbon mic. You can get real beefy tones taking advantage of the proximity effect and placing it up close, on the cap or cap edge. Smooth highs, and a nice balance at a distance. The figure 8 pattern lets in a little room which makes for a nice natural sound.

* Sennheiser MD421N
The 421 is a dynamic mic with solid lows and a flat response until a significant boost starting around 1.5K. It will make just about anything cut through the mix. It works very well off axis, too, if you want to roll off some of the presence and high end.

* Sennheiser MD441
The 441's low-end response is similar to the 421 but it has fuller mids and less edgy upper-mids.

* Sennheiser MD409
The 409 rolls off the low-end before the 421 and has less edgy upper-mids and high-end. It sounds somewhat like an SM57 with less peaky upper-mids.

* Shure SM7
it's a lot like an SM57 with a less pronounced proximity effect up close (probably due to the recessed capsule) and extended, smoother highs. It has a similar vibe to the TAB57.

* Shure SM57
A studio staple on electric guitar. Aggressive upper mids. Some proximity effect. Rolled off highs. Try pairing it with an R121 for a little of the chocolate and peanut butter thing.

* TAB-Funkenwerk SM57
An SM57 with a replacement transformer made by TAB-Funkenwerk that extends the highs a bit and the lows a little bit more. Sounds somehow like a crankier SM7.

* Electrovoice RE20
Take it out of the kick drum and use it on guitar. It's a detailed, well-balanced mic with ample low-end. It's muted proximity effect can be useful.

* Earthworks TC30/M50
The TC30 and M50 are high-end reference mics. They are flat as a pancake and have a phenomenal frequency response (3Hz-50KHz for the M50).

* Lawson L47
Based on the Neumann U47.

* Blue Bottle/B4
High end tube mic with a nice neutral omni capsule that we thought would complement the other mics as room mics.


when recording heavy/rock guitars, I often go for couples like C414+sm57 or u87+R121 or MD421+MD409

KEL HM2D (User:BumBataa)
It is voiced like a dynamic, though being a condenser.
Big, warm, round mids, like those radio-voices you remember from back when. Sizzurp.
No sizzling, no ringing, great..this is a sleeper, especially for recording guitars, but also very nice on vocals if used right.
http://www.kelaudio.com/

 

Unfortunately just like matching a voice to a mic, the guitar to mic combo is also just as personal.

You should have a choice of at least three mics, then record all three at once, then you can mix and match the best combos. There are no hard and fast rules in my opinion though i have to admit mixing a sm57 with a better condenser mic is usually really nice. The room you record in is probably more important than mic placement, mic choice or post processing. The room can effect the tone and quality so much it's worth looking first at whether you actually have a place to make a good recording first.

Amplitube etc are very close to the real thing so you can always test out combos that way too. Some i'm sure would disagree, but sound is so subjective we actually invent differences that aren't there in sound.

 

I've just taken delivery of a particularly good and inexpensive vocal mic: the AKG Perception 120 USB. 20Hz - 20 kHz, large diaphragm condenser, 24bit 128x oversampling, plug and play, power from the USB. Check out in your locale. Very, very cheap.

 

If you have access to all those fantastic mics and you don't know how to use/choose them you surely don't deserve any!

But today is your lucky day as I feel very generous.
Send me all the mics and I will sort them out for you FREE OF CHARGE!!

You can thank me later

 

check out the KEL HM2D...very nice company and very great sounding mic.
They did a redesign, best thing: it is so cheap that you don't really expect something good, but this mic mops the floor with a lot of even much pricier contenders.
We have a lot of mics over here, from Brauner to Neumanns etc. etc., but we love this thing.
It is voiced like a dynamic, though being a condenser.
Big, warm, round mids, like those radio-voices you remember from back when. Sizzurp.
No sizzling, no ringing, great..this is a sleeper, especially for recording guitars, but also very nice on vocals if used right.
Head over to their site and check out voice-samples:
My link

The company is really great, very kind, very good customer care, problems are mostly solved by Kelly Dueck himself.
For that price you can't go wrong, as this mic sounds like nothing else you got in your locker.
Highly highly recommended.

PS: And no, I don't work for them, I actually am from germany where they delivered to effortlessly in a few days

 

my favs are an old MD421 from the 70s in combination with some LDC a few feet back to capture "ambience" (in my case I use an Rode NT2a). The MD will give punch and the LDC will give sparkle.

I like ribbons too but don't see the point in buying an expensive royer. I usually use Ribbons as support (I have a really cheap ribbon mic).

As a nice alternative to a SM57 I like to use a Sennheiser e906. They are a little more expensive but have a hi boost/cut function. Also, they are supercardioid which will also make them nice live mics.

Generally, I found that thoughtful positioning of a mic will have enormous effects. Sometimes being more relevant than mic choice.

opty

 

Is Neumann KM84 best?

 

you may need to carefully read the first few lines I wrote to explain what this topic is about ...I know these mics and I tell you which I often choose for heavy guitars (which is what I do most). Now as someone pointed it out (and even myself, now in bold thanks to your post!lol) choosing a mic is rather personal...hence this topic..in no way intended at knowing who deserves what (otherwise your post wouldn't even deserve an answer! ah ah)...but rather to ask people what they favourite mic combinations are, maybe also their trick(s) when recording with specific models ...and if they are able to put words on tone characteristics then it'd be nice to have a description of the mic from their point of you....the more info the better

I dont need you to do anything (free of charge or not!) as you obviously dont know much, but stay around as we may learn a thing or two

 

thanks man, hope you dnt mind, I added your description to the list, if you find any nice combinations, dont hesitate to post em here

 

thanks for that too, and your last line is so very true; that's why I ask the question, ...move your mic just one inch back or to the left and you get a totally different thing..like crazy EQing!

 

than dont forget to post your impressions here after a short while, there's no bad mic...just different purposes/applications

 

there is no best mic...it all depends on what you intend to do with it...this mic is rather flat...it may be good in certain cases, but a mic colouring the sound is not a bad thing either. Do you plan to buy one?

 

Microphone is suppose to be as flat as possible, if you need coloration - you can add it whilst mastering There are manufacturers that cannot achieve a required clarity, so they market their shit under 'warm' sound tag. A vast arsenal of different mics is nothing but to impress the client. A pair of Shoeps mics is better then a hundred of Shure SM58s. Sometimes you might change the pattern from omni to cardio, but they are truly versatile mics. If you won the lottery - buy more Schoeps mics. And only if you get enough (which never happens) you can buy a large diaphragm mic such as Neumann TLM49 / M149 / U87Ai for double bass and low vocals. Never buy old mics unless you want to impress you vintage friends. The active capsule degrades with time, especially in harsh conditions (smoke, humidity etc.) and there is no way to test it without an expensive analyzer.
Here is my list:
Schoeps MK4(omni) MK2(cardio) w/CMC-6 amp
DPA 4006A (omni) 4011A (cardio)
Eartworks QTC40 (omni)
Neumann KM183(omni) KM184 (cardio)

These should cover anything from drum kit to the orchestra.

 

speaking of omni vs. cardioid.

If flat response is your goal, maybe try a dedicated measurement mic. they are (usually) omni and most of all cheap (like 50 Euro a pop cheap). I have to check if they can take the pressure but that might be worth a try. plus you would not have proximity effect due to the omni pattern. I have an ECM8000 around here somewhere. I never tried but maybe i will.

opty

PS: Just tried the measurment mic. way too noisy. rules out freq response as a one-shot indicator for finding a good mic.

 

what bullshit..a lot of the most famous mic are colored, and are in high regards BECAUSE of their significant sound.
It this was not true there somebody would've developed THAT neutral mic, after which nobody had to look for anything else.
Every mic has a different response curve, that's why you use different mic.
Some suit better for some vocals.
Coloration to your vocal is added way before mastering my friend, let alone choosing the right pre-amp.

 

I was thinking the very same *yes* and it's not just mics... a lot of the most famous gear owes its fame to the colour it brings to the sound...

seems like mistaking a mic for a monitoring system...

 

The old school standard is the SM57, You hear it on many recordings. When hearing a live guitar at most shows, the SM57 is king. It just always works well.

Many pro engineers use multiple mics on the guitar. Also the mic placement can change the tone dramatically, don't be afraid to move that mic around to get the right sound.

 

See? My post WAS useful after all. :dancing:

I don't know much? Is it THAT obvious?.. Damn.. must be my unshaved face..

So are you suggesting you're not taking up my offer?

Seriously though.. I took the first part of your post (I'm not always sure about which microphone to go for) as the IMPORTANT bit. Had you written what you've just written I would not have bothered

My offer still stands, anyway...

 

lol, sure, it's indeed useful, as it showed me I hadn't been very clear
and yes even if you know (more or less) which mic sounds like what, it's not always easy to pick the right one (that's why I like IRs, you can try a lot of things very quickly)...when I ask all these questions, I'm thinking here about someone planning to buy one..some are pretty dear and not so easy to try, so the more feedback you get from experienced users, the better

 

Gosh, I wish I had the luxury of so many choices. Since this thread has started, how about another question. If a person on a limited budget were looking for a decent multi-purpose, large diaphragm mic, and can only afford one for now, where do you start. Prefer between $500 up $1000. Can't really afford or justify much more than that now. I have had studio experience with most of the ones mentioned here, and have had ears on experience with most. Will an AKG414 in stereo pattern make a decent overhead for drums? I like the sound of it for my voice. It seems versatile. I borrowed an AT4050 from a friend and liked it very much for vocs. but it is not stereo and can't afford 2. Anybody have experience with Rode or some others, I'm open to chat.